Season 8: New and improved version
by Fuzzycat901
Summary: Picks off two years later where Season 7 left off. Everyone has found a new life in another town not far away from the old Sunnydale: HopeVille. Our beloved characters go through changes and new demons and monsters to deal with. Buffy is just getting used to things without Spike, Xander has become depressed, and Faith's past comes to bite her in the ass. Welcome to Season 8. NEW!
1. Episode 1 part 1

_**This is a continuation from where we left off in Season 7. It will be set two years later though just to kick things off right. I do not own anything, characters and everything else belongs to Joss Whedon. I promise you I'll make this good and I have planned for a Musical Number with my own original songs to be in here. Nothing has changed since the last episode (like nobody has been brought back to life like Anya or Spike.) ******__This story will be done in episodes. _

Buffy walks in and out of the tombstones, twirling a stake in her hand waiting for any Vampires to attack. It's a calm night; the sky is clear of clouds and the full moon shines brightly down. Buffy stops and crouches down at a fresh grave, the dirt still fresh from the burial that afternoon.

"I'll wait, it's not like I'm impatient or anything," Silence follows and Buffy purses her lips. "Still waiting,"

A pale white hand emerges from the soil making Buffy back up out of the Vampire's way. A small smile creeps across Buffy's face as the Vampire fully emerges with his face wrinkly and his teeth barred.

"Well hello there," The Vampire says straightening out his suit and extending a hand for Buffy to shake. "I'm Larry, what's your name?"

"Nice to meet you Larry," Buffy turns down his offer on the handshake and lashes out at him with her stake. Larry side steps the stake and manages to duck a punch Buffy throws at him. "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

She succeeds in punching him in the face making him tumble backwards onto the ground. Growling, Larry hops back to his feet and takes a swing at Buffy, successfully knocking her down. Buffy gets back up with ease and swings her right foot out as Larry charges towards her, tripping him onto his back yet again. She then, sits on his chest holding him down.

"It really was nice to meet you Larry," Buffy then drives the stake into his heart.

…**.**

The sun shines brightly through Xander's window as he pulls off his covers and stretches. It was a lovely day in HopeVille, but that didn't mean anything to Xander. Moving to the kitchen, he slowly passes by the silent living room and dusty furniture that have been untouched in two years. He makes it to the fridge and opens it to find it stocked with food, as usual. He takes out a carton of eggs and some apple juice and sets it on the counter behind him.

When he closes the fridge door, Anya is standing with a low cut tank top and tight jeans. Xander sees her and sighs.

"What do you want now?"

"Just came to check up on ya,"

Xander smacks an egg on the side of a frying pan and cracks it open into the pan. "You're not real,"

"That's right; I'm only a figment of your imagination. Really, the real me is dead, buried somewhere in amongst the ruins of Sunnydale," Anya shakes her head in disbelief. "It's a shame that had to happen,"

Xander places the frying pan on the stove and sets the element on high. He turns around to Anya, his face full with pain. "Please, get out of my head! I have to get to work and I don't want to show up with my face red again, do you know how embarrassing that is?"

"I'm only here because you can't let me go," Anya says.

"When you died that day, I didn't even go looking for you I just ran out because the building was going to fall."

"There was nothing that you could've done. Besides, I just pictured that the Uber Vamps and the Bringers were bunnies so I could kill them," Anya pauses. "So I guess if I was picturing them as bunnies, I guess as I got killed by bunnies."

Anya stares off into space thinking about her sudden realization. Xander pours his apple juice into a glass then puts the carton back inside the overstocked fridge.

"I'm just trying to move on, it's hard," he stares at Anya but the doorbell that rings makes him jump. "You gotta go." Xander says, walking past Anya and striding to the door.

"Suit yourself." Anya says then fades out to nothing.

Xander opens the door to see Willow holding a square gift wrapped in white wrapping paper.

"Happy Birthday Xandie!" Willow says, stepping into the apartment and handing the gift over to Xander. Xander closes the door behind her and eyes up his present, thoughts of Anya still going through his mind. He holds his present up to his ear and shakes it.

"I wonder what it is?"

"Open it!" Willow chirps, leaning against the back the sofa.

Xander starts to unwrap it, but stops once he has torn a little bit of the paper. "Do you remember that really weird Silly Putty you gave me for my fifth birthday and it got all in my hair and my mom had to cut it out?"

Willow tries to hide her smile. "Yes."

Xander unfolds a little more of the paper, but stops once again. "Oh and remember my tenth birthday how you got me one of those little robotic dogs that opened its mouth and it clamped down on my finger, leaving a huge purple bruise that lasted for days?"

"Yes but…"

"And my twelfth birthday you gave me a goldfish but it died the next day,"

"It's not any of that! Just open it!" Willow says, getting impatient.

Xander smiles at Willow and unwraps his gift. He takes out a small picture frame and tears well up in his eyes. The picture consists of Buffy, Willow, Tara, Anya, and himself, all outside of Buffy's old house in Sunnydale.

"Thanks Will, it's better than a goldfish." Xander leans in and hugs his best friend. As he hugs Willow, Anya appears in front of him. She turns her head to check out the picture in his hand.

"Ugh, you should have asked for the Silly Putty, I look awful in that picture."

…

Buffy sways her hips to the beat of the salsa music as she scrubs a plate with soap. Suddenly, a hand appears on her shoulder making her drop the plate and prepare to beat the person behind her. She relaxes once she sees it's just Dawn.

"Jeez Buffy, relax." Dawn says.

"Sorry you scared me." Buffy picks up her cloth and starts to scrub the plate again. Dawn sits up on top of the counter beside the sink, moving the pile of dirty dishes towards the window. She grabs the local newspaper from beside her as well, and looks at the front page.

"Wow, there's been another body found, do you think it's a Vampire?"

"I don't know Dawn," Buffy seems to be annoyed with her sister's preppy attitude towards Vampires.

"Well it might be, it said the body was found with multiple teeth wounds, that sounds like creepy night crawler to me!"

"It could be,"

"I know!" Dawn says, hopping down from the counter. "Let's have a sister bonding night tonight and break into the morgue and slay the thing!"

Buffy sighs and places the plate in the drying rack. She turns around to face her excited sister. "Calm down Dawn. I'm not the only Slayer anymore. Faith is in town, and some of the Potentials are in town. We could have as much of a break as we want to."

Dawn's shoulders slump forward and she sets the newspaper back down on the counter, and moves the dirty dishes back to the place they were in. "Yeah I guess you're right. I don't know, it just feels weird not being the only hero in town. I mean this isn't Sunnydale anymore, but I guess it's the next best thing!"

Buffy laughs. "Do you really think HopeVille is the next best thing?"

"With a name like that, I hope it is!" the front door knocks and Buffy walks over to answer it. "You get it, HopeVille?" Dawn calls to her. Buffy rolls her eyes and swings open the door.

"I need to talk to you," Faith says, walking into the house and stands in the middle of the kitchen. "I'm screwed."

"With what?" Dawn asks.

Buffy folds her arms and looks Faith up and down looking at her dirt stained jeans and her black jacket is lopsided with one end off of her shoulder. Why was she wearing a jacket anyways in the middle of a hot summer?

"Have you been running from something?" Buffy asks.

Faith gulps. "Yeah,"

"What from? Oh my god is there a new demon in town? I mean, I'm probably jumping the gun but wouldn't that be cool! We could get our weapons and…"

"Dawn!" Faith and Buffy say in unison.

"Sorry, I'll just be in my room then, trying to figure out which college I should go to." Dawn exits the room and runs up the stairs behind them. Once they can hear the door slam, Faith continues to explain everything.

"I did something that I really wish I hadn't when I was sixteen,"

"And now you're in trouble? Gee Faith; karma tends to bite you in the ass, doesn't it?"

"Buffy this is different, I've always turned my back on this issue before, I've never fully dealt with it, until I got a phone call this morning,"

"It can't be that bad," Buffy says.

"My mom died,"

Buffy bites her lip. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be, I never really knew her," Faith walks over to the bar stool and sits on it. Buffy stands on the opposite side of the counter, putting away the clean plates. "She was a drunk and didn't make the wisest decisions in life. I guess I'm kind of like her that way. When I was sixteen I slept with a guy named Sam, he was a nice guy, you know, captain of the basketball team. Well, two months later, I was knocked up,"

Buffy drops the plate onto the floor breaking it. "How come you didn't tell me this before?"

"The right time was never there. Anyways I told him that I was pregnant but he kicked me out of his house, said he never wanted to see me again," Faith takes a deep breath. Buffy goes to say something more but she is interrupted by another knock at the door. "Crap, that's probably Robin, he's been looking everywhere for me."

Faith walks out of the kitchen, looking for a place to hide. Robin opens the door and walks into the kitchen. He comes across Buffy picking up the pieces of glass. He bends down to help her.

"What happened here?"

"Nothing just dropped a plate that's all."

"Have you seen Faith? She got a phone call this morning and ran out of the house. I was wondering if she was here."

Buffy stands up and dispenses the bits of glass into the garbage can, Robin does the same. "No I haven't seen her, maybe try Xander's house, bye!" Buffy pushes him out the back door and shuts him out. She then leans against the door and sighs.

_**That was episode one part one! Episode one part 2 coming soon! **_


	2. Epsiode 1 part 2

Faith sits on the couch in Buffy's living room with her head in her hands, staring off into space. If she wasn't so tough she may have had tears dripping down her cheeks but because she was, she couldn't cry. She wasn't thinking in the present right now, she was having a flashback to the day she left her daughter, and what was to come after…

_Faith pushes a little brown haired girl on the swing set, smiling all the way. The little girl laughs with glee and holds on to the chains lightly. "Higher mommy!" She giggles._

"_I can only let you go so high," Faith says._

"_Faith," A sharp voice says from behind her and Faith grabs the swing and moves forward until she stops it completely. The little girl groans. "We have to go," _

"_Why? It's not night yet, they won't be out for a while,"_

"_You have to be prepared at all times Faith, if you're not prepared you could end up being killed. Now since I am your Watcher I suggest that you do what I say and do it quickly!" _

_Faith rolls her eyes but nods quickly to her Watcher. Faith turns back to the little girl on the swing and lifts her out. _

"_Stay longer?" The girl asks with big puppy dog hazel eyes._

"_I'm sorry honey, but Abigail says we have to go," _

"_Why?"_

"_We just do, now, let's say we get ice cream after we're done okay?"_

_The girl smiles showing baby teeth. "Okay."_

_Night dawns quickly and Faith finds herself fighting off Vampires once again. There are three in front of her and eager to snack on her blood. Faith waves them on and they charge her quickly. Abigail stands to the side holding the little girl who is almost in tears watching Faith punch the Vampires. _

"_Mommy!" _

_Faith turns to look at her daughter. "Annie it's alright!" She says as one of the Vampires knocks her to the ground with one swift kick to the stomach. Faith gets back up and kicks him where it hurts. The Vampire falls to the ground and Faith whips out a stake from her jacket and stakes him in the heart. _

_One down two to go. She punches, kicks, dodges, until finally the last one is staked and turned to ashes. Faith puts the stake back in her jacket and walks to Annie and Abigail. _

"_We shouldn't have brought her here," Faith says, taking Annie from Abigail's arms. _

"_Where else would we have left her? Faith your mother is drunk, and what about Sam?"_

"_Don't mention his name!" Faith spat in Abigail's face and started to walk away. But before she could leave the site, Faith could hear a gurgling noise and the sound of teeth ripping into flesh. She turned around to see Abigail, her neck in the mouth of an abnormal looking Vampire. The Vampires fingers are stuck together so they look like claws. Faith gasped, turned on her heels and ran. _

"Faith?" Buffy's voice shakes Faith into the present.

"What?" She asks, suddenly aware of her surroundings.

"You were telling me something about your past?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter," And with that, Faith gets up off the couch and walks out the door. Dawn walks down the stairs with a hideous leopard print scarf on. Buffy turns and stares at her.

"How do I look?" Dawn asks and Buffy walks out of the room.

…**.**

On the outskirts of HopeVille sits an old warehouse run down into the ground with the siding lopsided. A group of demons have gathered in a big room with boxes and broken windows. In the middle, the larger demon stands booming commands to everyone.

He has two horns sticking out of his head and a face of a bull. His body is lined with mousey grey fur and his eyes are a beady colour of red. He has hooves for hands and hooves for feet and he has cut a hole in the back of his pants for a tail. He looks around at his fellow miss shaped demons and roars.

"Okay everybody listen up!" he yells over the chatter of his fellow allies talking. Everybody shuts up and looks to where he stands. "We all know what the mission is. Grab the Slayer, bring her here and hold her captive until she gives us the child's location."

A tall looking demon steps forward with his body shaking. " Manos, What if she doesn't give us the child's location?"

Manos walks over to his accomplices and laughs. "You know I don't like negativity,"

Manos then rams one of his horns into the demons flesh and watches as he melts. Manos turns back to the whiteboard he was standing in front of. On the board is a picture of a brown haired girl with bright hazel eyes. "We need the Slayer's daughter, and once we hold her captive, she will tell us where she is. Annie Lehane will soon be ours."

…

Willow is sitting down crossed legged in front of Tara's grave. She fiddles and entwines a piece of grass in her hands, not really looking at the tombstone that she sits in front of.

"So Xander's really depressed, he doesn't admit that he is but I can see he's really missing Anya. Buffy isn't talking much either, I'm not sure why, she's pretty good at hiding things. But I'm doing good, you know, normal happy Willow," Willow looks at the grave. "I really miss you Tara, Kennedy moved back to her hometown, I broke it off with her. I'm not one for long distance relationships," Willow laughs. "So yeah, I guess I'm just here to say hi, and yeah."

Willow gets up quickly and walks away from the grave and out of the graveyard. She gets in her car and starts the engine and backs out with ease. As she gets onto the highway, she turns onto the road up ahead that would lead her back to HopeVille, along the ruins of Sunnydale.

Willow never liked to look at the big gaping hole that was once the town she grew up in, she felt awkward and uncomfortable. The graveyard that Tara was buried in was still standing because it was on the outskirts of Sunnydale and technically out of town. Arriving in HopeVille, Willow pulls over outside the bakery shop and parks the car.

She opens the door and is welcomed with fresh air and the smell of the bakery. She inhales it in deeply and walks up to the sidewalk. Everyone around her is laughing and smiling which seems to make her a little uncomfortable. All of a sudden, a little girl about the age of eight catches her eye. The little girl sits against a building with her knees tucked up to her chest and a stunned look on her face. Willow walks across the street and up to the little girl.

"Hey sweetie, are you okay?" she asks the girl. The girl leans away from her but not talking her eyes off of Willow, just to be safe. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," she waits for the little girl to respond but when she doesn't Willow carries on. "What's your name?"

"Annie," The girl says in a terrified voice.

"Hi Annie I'm Willow,"

"Hi,"

"Are you parents anywhere around here?" Willow asks and Annie shakes her head no. "Are you lost?"

"Yes," Annie whispers.

"Well, I'll help you. Why don't you say we get up off the pavement and go see someone who can help you?"

Annie nods getting up off the pavement and taking Willow's hand. Willow smiles together and the two walk down the street.

…**.**

Faith is walking down the street with her hands in her pockets. All around her, little kids play in their driveways, the park to her left, and some are riding their bikes around her. She sighs in frustration. Robin runs up beside her and tackles her with a giant hug. She jumps and pushes him away.

"Don't do that again," She grumbles.

"I was looking everywhere for you, is everything okay?" Robin goes to take Faith's hand but she pulls her hand away from his.

"Yeah, sure whatever," She says.

The two continue to walk awkwardly side by side until Robin speaks up. "Well hey, we've been living together for a year now; you could at least tell me what's going on,"

"It's okay, really it's fine. It's something I have to deal with myself, I'll see you later!" She calls back to him as she runs away leaving a very pissed off looking Robin in the middle of the street.

Faith ran to the morgue, where she could identify her mother's body for the doctors and detectives and all the other people who were investigating her mother's death.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The mortician asks.

Faith nods the mortician. "I'm ready,"

The mortician peels back the white sheet revealing a woman in her late fifties lying on the table with her eyes closed. Her body is bruised and has multiple cuts. Faith cocks her head in confusion once she notices the huge hole in her mother's chest.

"That's her. But why is there a hole in her chest?"

"That's what we're trying to investigate. We think your mother was murdered."

Faith backs away unable to comprehend this. She goes out into the hallway and sits on a bench. A lady dressed in a lab coat walks up to her.

"Faith Lehane?" She asks.

"In the flesh," Faith replies.

The lady sits down on the bench next to Faith, a clipboard in her hand. "I'm inspector Jackson, but you can just call me Halle. I have a few questions for you if you don't mind; I know it's a hard experience,"

"Ask away,"

"We investigated the house and we see that your mother had a granddaughter, Annie Lehane. We know that you don't have any siblings so Annie must be your daughter, am I right Faith?" Halle asks looking deep into Faith's eyes. Faith nods her head. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

Faith frowns and looks Halle directly in her eyes. Halle shrinks back feeling what Faith wanted her to feel; fear and panic. "What? Do you mean you lost her?"

"We didn't when we arrived at the house, but then she was gone!"

"Then look for her! Search for her! Isn't that what you Inspector's do? You search for things that are hidden?"

"We turned our back for a minute and then she was gone,"

Faith gets up. "That's why you don't turn your backs on things; I've learned that from past experiences." With that, Faith walks away from the Inspector and out of the building to search for her daughter.

_**I hope you all are liking this! Haha you get it? Hope? I'm having fun with the puns! :D **_


	3. Episode 1 part 3

"Umm Willow, so where did you say this little girl was from?" Buffy asks Willow as she stares at Annie who sits on a chair at the kitchen table. Willow pokes her head out from rummaging in the fridge to find the little girl something to eat.

"I found her on the street!"

"So like a little puppy you decide to rescue her off the street and bring her into _our _house?" Dawn questions.

Willow backs out of the fridge with a carton of chocolate milk and pours a glass for Annie. "Well I couldn't bring her into my house that would be awkward you know since I live alone. She might feel uncomfortable." Willow hands Annie the glass of chocolate milk and Annie downs it quickly.

"Boy, you were sure drank that fast, were you thirsty?" Buffy asks Annie in a peppier voice.

"Yeah," Annie says.

Buffy pulls up a chair beside Annie and smiles at her. "How long have you been on the street Annie?"

"Since this morning,"

"This morning? Did you run away from home?"

"Yes,"

Willow moves in closer, getting concerned. "Oh, why would you do that sweetie?"

Buffy, Willow, and Dawn lean in close to hear the answer but Annie simply shakes her head and stares at the empty glass of chocolate milk. Buffy gets up and motions for Willow and Dawn to follow her, to the doorway of the kitchen out of earshot of Annie.

"Do you think she ran away because something was wrong? "Buffy whispers.

"Like what?" Dawn asks.

"It could be anything, but we always assume the worst. Maybe she went for a walk and got lost?"

"That kind of defeats the whole purpose of running away," Dawn chuckles.

"My Grandma died," Annie says, still staring at the empty glass. They move back towards the table, Buffy sitting back down in her chair. "Grandma's dead and some people came and took her body away. I ran cause I was scared."

Dawn walks out from around the counter in the middle and takes the stool beside Annie, giving her a shoulder hug. "We need to take you back so they know you're safe,"

"But I'm scared," Annie's lip quivers and tears well up in her eyes.

"Don't be, you'll be alright, I promise," Dawn says, squeezing the girl tighter.

"Dawn can I see you for a moment?" Buffy asks Dawn. Buffy leads Dawn into the living room then turns around, her face fuming with anger. "What the hell was that?"

"What did I do?"

"You don't say things you can't promise!"

"But everything will be alright; you just have to have positive thoughts, right?"

"We had positive thoughts about mom," Buffy says, lowering her voice.

"Yeah but…"

"We had positive thoughts about everyone making it out alive when Sunnydale collapsed but that didn't work,"

"That was different…"

"How is this any different?" Buffy spits and looks down at her sister. "Someone is dead in that little girl's family. She will never get to see them again and you're telling her that everything is going to be alright? Things leave cuts Dawn, and eventually those cuts become scars. Choose your words wisely; I don't want to hear that ever again."

Willow clears her throat behind them. "Nothing says welcome to the Summers residence like a good old speech. Let's go to the police station, Annie."

Willow takes Annie's hand and they walk out the door.

…**.**

The usual sounds of the police station can be heard throughout the building. The chatter of the tired police, the ringing of phones, yelling convicts, the usual. Annie sits in a chair that moves back and forth on wheel while Willow stands beside her. A police man approached them and shakes Willow's hand and smiles at Annie.

"Hello, I am Officer Malo thank you for coming down here, we've been looking for her all day. Now Annie, I'm going to ask you a few questions is that okay?" Officer Malo asks Annie and she nods her head yes, looking down at her feet. "That's great. Can you tell me why you left?"

"Her Grandma died and the people who were investigating the scene took the body away, scaring Annie into running."

Officer Malo turns to Willow and frowns letting out a big sigh. "Hey, I wasn't asking you was I?"

"She's right," Annie says.

Officer Malo smiles at Willow, his anger gone now that Annie has spoken. "Thank for bringing her in again." He says and whips out his phone.

"Officer Malo," Willow asks, stepping in towards him. "Does she have a place to stay? I mean, I could put her up for the night,"

"You've done enough thanks," Malo says, fiddling with the buttons on his phone.

"Well where is she going? I want to know that's she's safe,"

The entrance doors open and Malo turns around. "Her mother just walked in now!" He says, putting away his phone and walking towards the woman who has just walked in. Willow drops her jaw as Faith walks towards them with her brown hair a frizzy mess and her eyes red.

"Ms. Lehane?" Malo asks.

"Yeah that's me," Faith says.

"You're Annie's mother?" Willow asks astonished.

Faith ignores Willow and kneels down on the floor, placing a hand on the handle of Annie's chair. Faith looks into her daughter's big brown eyes and smiles. "Hey Annie, do you remember me?"

Annie stands up and grabs Willow hand, clutching it tightly. Faith is trying to remain calm. "It's me sweetie, I'm your mom; I'm here to take you home,"

Annie rests her head into Willow's sweater not wanting to look at her mother.

"Do you two know each other?" Malo asks, pointing between Willow and Faith, and Faith and Willow.

"Yeah we do." Faith says, giving Willow a cold harsh glare.

"Great, since Annie isn't quite comfortable with you," Malo points at Faith. "And she seems to take more of a liking to you," he points at Willow. "Maybe it would be a good idea to let Annie stay with her for the night?" He turns back to Faith, smiling.

Faith frowns and gives Malo the glare she gave Willow a few moments earlier. "She's my daughter! I'm the one who should be taking care of her!"

"Then why aren't you, Faith?" Willow asks, now using her time wisely to glare at Faith.

"It's a complicated story that you wouldn't understand Willow!"

"Try me. Last time I checked we went through Hell and back together,"

"Just take Annie; I'll pick her up in the morning." Faith says, giving up and storming out of the police station.

_**Please Review! **_


	4. Episode 1 part 4 (end)

Buffy and the gang sit in the living room, watching Annie intently as she plays with a toy car. Buffy watched as Annie moved the car back and forth, studying her features. As if the brown hair and the brown eyes weren't enough to say she looked like Faith, but they also had the same nose and the same mouth. The way she moved was like Faith too, swift and to the point. Buffy shakes her head from her thoughts just as Xander speaks up.

"So, is Faith coming to get her in the morning?" He asks.

"I don't know, she seemed pretty bitchy about it," Willow replies.

Something catches Xander's eye and he takes a double take. Anya has just shimmered into the room, with a smile still on her face. "Well you guys are screwed," She says.

Buffy looks from Xander to Willow, then Willow to Xander. "You're all acting like this is a demon! This is a child we're talking about!"

"A child can be a demon in so many ways," Anya says even though nobody can see or hear her, except for Xander of course.

"I feel terrible about all of this , I mean, it's just, oh god," Willow collapses into an arm chair and rubs her fingers against the sides of her head.

"Xander you should help! We always talked about having kids!" Anya says but Xander just waves her off with his hand. Dawn sees this and frowns.

"Is something wrong Xander?" She asks.

Xander awkwardly smiles at her. "No, it's just a fly,"

"I guess you're putting her up for the night, unless Faith comes storming in which I doubt she will do anytime soon," Buffy laughs. Suddenly the doorbell rings and everyone's heads snap up, including Annie. "Or I could be wrong."

Buffy walks over to the door to reveal the bull looking demon named Manos.

"Hello, Slayer." He smiles showing decaying yellow teeth. He punches her in the face, as the screen goes black and the credits roll.

_**So that is the end of Episode 1! Episode 2 coming soon! Thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming! **_


	5. Episode 2 part 1

Buffy staggers backwards from the punch she had taken to the face from Manos, but she has caught herself on a small round table which holds a flower vase. She grabs it off the table and throws it at the demons head but he dodges it by an inch.

"You can't get me that easily,"

Buffy side steps one of his punches and kicks his back so he plummets to the ground. She then throws him against the wall making a giant dent. Annie screams from the loud noise.

"It's okay honey," Willow says, wrapping the girl in a hug and shielding her eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Buffy answers Manos. "We'll see about that!" Buffy turns to her friends who are standing in the living room, watching. "Weapon me!" She says. Dawn throws her a sword from a trunk full of weapons and Buffy catches it easily. She drives the sword into Mano's chest but he just laughs.

"How cute, you think you can kill me," Manos says grinning. He then rams his head into Buffy's and she falls to the ground unconscious.

…**..**

Buffy, in her unconscious state, wakes up in the graveyard in the middle of the day. She rubs her head and begins to sit up.

"Where am I?" Buffy asks herself then feels rather stupid when she sees all of the grave stones. Buffy stands up just as Willow runs by her in a hot pink jogging outfit. "Willow?" Buffy questions.

Willow backs up and waves at her best friend. "Oh hey Buffy, what's up?"

"Please tell me this is a dream," Buffy asks, her eyes going wide.

"Of course, why else would I be doing a fifteen K jog around the graveyard?" Willow scoffs and runs away into the distance. Buffy raises her eyebrows in confusion, shudders, then walks on. She then spots Faith sitting on a tombstone near her. Walking up to her, Buffy realizes that her face is bleeding as she sees little red dots drip to the ground ever so slowly.

"Faith are you okay?"

Faith slowly turns her head to look at Buffy. The left side of her face is smashed and blood continues to drip onto the dirt ground beneath her. Buffy cringes as she sees that Faith barely has a left eye.

"What do you think?" Faith says.

"Faith what happened?" Buffy asks.

"Nothing, this is all a dream, remember B?"

"Oh right,"

A slight humming can be heard a few feet off and Buffy turns her head around to find the source. As the humming continues, Buffy looks back to Faith for an explanation but Faith has vanished off of her tombstone and in her place is bright red blood, dripping onto the ground. Buffy walks towards the humming noise and jumps back when Anya pops out from behind a tombstone.

Anya freezes like a deer looking in headlights and quickly finishes her last note of humming. "You can't see me!" She says and covers her eyes with her hands.

"Anya, I can see you! Wait, why can I see you? You're dead," Buffy asks, looking around her for an explanation but finds none. Anya is silent, still covering her eyes with her hands. "Anya, am I dead?" Buffy asks worried.

Anya looks through her fingers and shakes her head no. "I'm the one who's dead," she sighs and takes her hands away from her eyes. "This may be a dream but me, I'm not a dream, I'm just a figment of your imagination," Anya takes a deep breath. "I'm getting tired of explaining that,"

"Okay Anya, if you're really you what am I doing here?" Buffy smiles, she had missed Anya's sarcastic attitude.

"That big scary demon that came to your door, hit you on the head. You fell to the floor unconscious. Don't worry, you'll be fine,"

Buffy takes a seat on one of the tombstone behind her, Anya takes one opposite of her, and folds her legs. "Oh yeah, what was that all about?"

"His name is Manos, I'm not sure why he came but he wants something and he wants it bad,"

"He hit me in the head pretty good, do you know him?" Buffy asks, rubbing her sore head on the back.

"When I was a vengeance demon we would have drinks in a bar when we were mad with the world and everyone in it, but that was it. Well it looks like you should be heading back," Anya changes the subject. "It was nice to see you,"

"You too," Buffy says hopping down from the tombstone.

"I'll see you the next time you get knocked unconscious or if you're crazy like Xander you'll see me sooner!"

"Crazy like Xander?" Buffy asks but before she can get an answer, Anya and the graveyard have faded away. Buffy opens her eyes to see her ceiling. Dawn leans over into her view.

"She's awake guys!" She calls to the rest.

Soon enough, faces that consist of Willow, Xander, and Annie look down on her. Buffy sits up and looks at everyone.

"Where's Man- I mean, where's the demon?"

"We got rid of him," Xander says beaming with pride.

"We? You mean me right?" Willow turns to Buffy. "I hit him with a curse, one that kicks him out the door," Willow looks to the door, that is lying on the ground. "Unfortunately the door went with him."

"Thank Willow," Buffy smiles but then it suddenly fades away, she turns to Xander. "Oh my god! Xander, Happy Birthday!" Buffy leans in and gives him a hug.

"Oh yeah, in the midst of all our demon fighting we forgot all about my birthday," He chuckles.

Dawn gasps beside them. "We fought an actual demon! Guys, we fought a demon! It rang the doorbell, it tried killing us, and then we kicked it out! Guys I think we're back in business!" She says, smiling the whole time barely containing her enthusiasm.

Everyone stares blankly at her.

…**..**

Faith sits outside of her house on the front step holding a small picture which contains, Annie, Faith's mother Ms. Lehane, and herself. Faith smiles at the memory that the pictures holds and Faith has to swallow a lump in her throat. In the picture, Faith is sitting on the front step with Annie in her arms. Her mother is behind her, smoking a cigarette. Faith is yelling at her mother to look at the camera that her mother's boyfriend holds. Faith smirks, her mother had a way with things.

"Faith,"

Faith shoves the picture in her pocket and looks up to see Robin holding a coffee mug for her. She takes it and sets it down beside her on the step. Robin takes a seat beside her, and wraps his arm around her shoulder. Faith nestles in and lays her head on his shoulder.

"Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you didn't make a certain mistake?"

"I have often wondered what life would be like if Spike hadn't killed my mother,"

"Then I wouldn't be a Slayer,"

Robin clears his throat changing the subject. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong? Who was that little girl in the picture?"

"Oh you saw that," Faith says her face. "I know this may seem kind of childish, but if I told you, would you promise not to tell anybody?"

Robin lets his arm fall and he look at her. "No, why?"

"When I was sixteen, I made a pretty stupid choice,"

"What was that?"

"I trusted a boy who I thought I was in love with. We were dating and one night after the big basketball game he invited me into his car where…. You know," she looks away from Robin and Robin shifts uncomfortably. "Three months later I had a baby bump appearing through my shirt and a broken heart from the guy I thought I had loved. My mom said she would give me a place to stay until the baby came and when the baby did, she asked us to stay longer. I should have known that it was only to take care of her and not us. I had a baby girl, I named her Annie but I left her when she was two years old because I became the Vampire Slayer,"

"You left your child? I mean, you could have brought her with you right?"

"Leaving her in HopeVille seemed like the safest thing to do. After all I didn't really have a choice! My Watcher had just been killed right in front of me and I was eighteen and scared as hell. Now that my mother is dead, I am the legal guardian of Annie,"

Robin breathes deeply. "Wow, that is a lot to take in,"

"I would have told you sooner it's just…"

"It's just what Faith? We've been together for two years; I thought we knew everything about each other but I guess I was wrong," there is an awkward silence between the two as Faith takes a sip of her coffee. "Where is Annie now?" Robin asks, looking into Faith's eyes with disbelief.

"At Willow's, Annie didn't want to come with me, she liked Willow better."

Robin stands up and turns to go back into the house. "You go fix this mess Faith, because it isn't fixing itself on its own,"

Robing walks in through the door and closes it shut leaving Faith on the step all alone with a picture of her daughter who didn't know her.

_**So that was Episode 2 part 1! Hope you liked it! Review please! :D **_


	6. Episode 2 part 2

Manos sits on a table getting patched up by another demon. His wounds are minor, but he still winces as the other demon dabs the blood with a white cloth. The demon pokes a certain sore spot and Manos roars in pain. "Watch it!" he growls. The demon rolls its eyes and resumes dabbing the cut. "I should have snatched that girl when I had the chance, instead I went for the Slayer!"

"She was only protecting her daughter boss I'm sure we would have done the same if we were human,"

Manos grumbles at his fellow demon's response. "I guess you're right. Buffy can't protect Annie for long, since I will be snatching her up, now that I know where she's located,"

"Okay you see, I've read the plans and I've gone over them with the other demons but I'm a bit confused, why exactly do we need Annie again?"

Manos quickly leaps up from the table, backs the demon up against the wall and rams his horns into the demon's chest, drawing blood instantly. "I've enjoyed having you around, but you ask too many questions, goodbye," Manos gives the demon one last ram and the demon melts into the floor, becoming a pile of liquid. Manos turns around to see his fellow demons watching him, with their mouths gaping open. "Anyone else who asks another question will be destroyed. Are we all clear?"

The demons all nod then turn back to go do whatever they were doing before. A big demon with round glasses approaches Manos and clears his throat. Manos smiles at him.

"It's almost ready sir," The big demon says nervously.

"Ah good, can I see it Timothy?" Manos smiles a little more.

Timothy's body trembles as he looks nervously to his right. "Sure, follow me," Timothy turns his back on Manos and walks towards a dark tunnel, in which he whistles and the lights turn on. Manos and Timothy walk down the tunnel quickly, Manos smiling all the way. They come to a huge hole with a wooden ladder sticking out of it. Demons hauling things around on their backs walk in and out of the hole with some collapsing from exhaustion and some conversing with others about work.

"Are you sure you're going deep enough?" Manos asks, stepping closer to the pit peering in at its everlasting depth as demons crawl into it one by one.

"Yes, we can't have it too deep or else it won't work,"

Manos smiles slyly and laughs. "Excellent."

…**.**

In mid-afternoon, Buffy sits on her back lawn doing the downwards dog pose on her yoga mat. Behind her, Willow and Xander look out the window at her, watching as she comes back down on her stomach, and then back up again.

"I'm worried about her, she's been….. off since Spike you know… blew up," Willow says.

"Yeah me too, what do you think we can do to help her?" Xander says, glancing around for any sight of Anya.

"I don't know, suggest a therapist maybe?" Willow then shakes her head, realizing that was a stupid idea. Buffy would never go to one even if her friends told her to.

"Oh yeah, that'll work. The therapist will ask her what her problem is then Buffy will say 'Oh yeah, my lover was set to fire from the sun and burned to dust, collapsing Sunnydale," Xander scoffs.

"Hmm, never thought of it that way," Willow bites her lip.

"What are you going to do about Annie?" Xander asks, changing the subject.

"Hopefully Faith will pick her up soon because she's driving me nuts. Do you know what she did last night? She got up in the middle of the night and asked me to check her closet for monsters! Demons don't hide in closets! That's totally not their style!"

"Will, I think you're missing the point that Annie is an eight year old girl,"

"Does that mean she should not be left home alone?" Willow shies away and smiles knowing she's done something wrong.

Xander raises an eyebrow at her and Willow gasps and exits the room. Dawn walks into the room shortly after wearing tight skinny jeans and a low cut tank top that's cropped to her belly button. She grabs her purse from the counter and slips on her heels by the back door where Xander stands.

"Dawnie?" Xander asks.

"Yes?"

"I don't know how to say this Dawn but you kind of look like…"

"A slut?" Dawn laughs and smiles.

"I was more going along the lines of 'pretty hooker' but slut works too?"

"Relax Xander, I'm just going to The Hangout,"

"Oh the new bar that's sort of like The Bronze? Have fun in the middle of the day, oh, and drink lots too!" Xander says as Dawn opens the door and walks down the walkway. Dawn walks through the backyard catching Buffy's attention. Buffy gets up from her stomach and runs to Dawn.

"Dawn," she calls out to her before catching up. "Where are you going?"

"The Hangout, why?"

"Well I just thought that we could have that sister night you've always been talking about, you know, watch a few movies, eat junk food, all that good stuff!"

"I think I'll pass for tonight, besides, I'm sure you can find something better to do, you're good at that."

And with that, Dawn walks out the gate leaving Buffy staring at her looking sad.

_**That was part 2! Part 3 coming soon! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I had to get stitches in my leg, hurts like hell. Please Review! :D :D :D :D Thanks! **_


	7. Episode 2 part 3

_**Hope you all are enjoying this! This was one of my favourite chapters to write, this and the next one coming up! I am sorry for the choppy format. I am transferring this over from Script so just hang in there for the next few chapters.**_

Willow sits at her round kitchen table with Annie, who sits next to her colouring a picture.

"You're very good at staying in between the lines, Annie," Willow says even though Annie is clearly not staying in between the lines, her colours spewing everywhere across the sheet. There is a soft knock at the door and Willow whips her head up. Annie doesn't budge; she's too into colouring her photo. Willow walks to the door and opens it, revealing a startled looking Faith.

"I'm here," Faith mumbles.

"I see that," Willow looks her up and down.

Faith rolls her eyes and pushes past Willow. She walks over to the table where Annie sits, but stops halfway. "What if I can't do this?" She says to Willow.

"Just try,"

Faith takes a deep breath and turns to face her daughter. "Hey Annie,"

Annie looks up from her colouring, sees Faith, then looks back down. Faith looks back to Willow for an explanation but Willow just shrugs her shoulders. Faith tries a different approach and sits next to Annie, peering over at her colouring.

"Whatcha got there?" Faith says.

"A picture," Annie responds.

"It's a pretty picture…" Faith says, raising her eyebrows at the mess of colours.

"Willow thinks it's awesome," Annie grumbles.

Willow smiles as she sits down in the chair opposite of Faith.

"You know what else is awesome?" Faith says.

"What?" Annie asks her eyes full of wonder.

"My place, it's totally awesome. We have games, toys, all you could think of,"

"Do you have a snow cone machine?"

"Yeah!"

Willow mouths 'Really' to Faith and Faith mouths 'No' back.

Annie puts her crayons neatly in a line and jumps down from the chair. She walks over to the living room and grabs her Barbie suitcase full of clothing items and grabs her pillow from the couch. She looks at Faith, ready to go.

"You ready?" Faith asks. Annie nods her head yes. Annie reaches out for Faith's hand but Faith pulls it away quickly. Together, the two of them walk awkwardly out the door.

…**.**

As Faith and Annie are walking along the streets of downtown HopeVille, the sun is setting over the mountain tops creating a glowing feeling inside of everyone. People stare as Annie grips onto her Barbie suitcase and not her mother's hand but eventually think nothing of it and walk on. They come across an alley way with two green dumpsters on either side.

"Do you want to take a short cut home?" Faith asks Annie. Annie shakes her head and moves closer to Faith, who takes one tiny step away. "We'll be fine; you're safe with me,"

"That's what Grandma said right when…." Annie trails off.

"Right when what?" Faith asks but when Annie doesn't respond she rolls her eyes. "Come on, we're taking the short cut," Faith and Annie walk into the alley just as the sun is almost fully set.

They are now a little ways into the alley, surrounded by backdoors to stores and what Annie sees as the best part, the end of it.

"See that wasn't so bad," Faith says laughing.

Annie looks around at the tall buildings surrounding her, some dumpsters to her left, and back doors, some cracked or some with a padlock. A drunken man snoring beside a dumpster makes Annie jump. Again, she walks closer to her mother but Faith only moves farther away. Disappointment is spread throughout Annie's body sending tingling messages to her head. Faith moves towards the back door of a building and knock on it. Annie peers up at her mother curiously, noticing her heavy lipstick, some battle scars, and a few age lines.

"It's okay I know these people," Faith reassures Annie as she sees she looks quite scared. The doors swings open and a man wearing a white apron with red blots on it is in the doorway. Annie hides behind Faith but Faith pushes her back out to the side where she was before.

"Two packs of chicken Chow Mein please, a pack of fried rice and two packs of sweet and sour pork,"

The man looks at Faith and his face goes sour. "You still haven't paid me from the last time!"

"Yeah! I had you put it on my credit card!"

"No you didn't!" The man continues to argue with Faith.

"Okay listen here buddy…." Faith says but Annie blocks out the rest. A loud crash was made behind her, making her tune out everything. Annie tires to ignore it and tugs on her mother's shirt but Faith just waves her off, accidently smacking her hand. The same noise sounds again and Annie whips around immediately staring at the nearest dumpster to her left. She walks over to the dumpster as it makes more noise. Her eight year old mind is so curious as she approaches the dumpster and almost touches it. But something has stopped her, and it wasn't the noise.

A demon jumps out of the dumpster with his teeth barred.

"Mommy!" Annie screams at the top of her lungs as the demon lands on her.

_**That was a short one, will upload some again tomorrow! Review please! Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you love, everything! Part 4 coming soon! Just to let you all know, an episode will always have 4 parts. **_


	8. Episode 2 part 4 (End)

"Mommy!" Annie screams again Faith doesn't come right away. Faith runs to her and pulls the demon off of her by the collar of his ripped shirt. She throws him up against the wall and punches him in the face. The demon fights back and punches her in the stomach, throwing her across the narrow alley way and into the side of a dumpster where she is momentarily struck down. The demon walks slowly back over to where Annie is with his red eyes big and wide. He bends down to her eye level and smiles and Annie backs away ever so slowly with the demon walking slowly to her.

Faith gets her strength back and gets off of the pavement, and grabs the closest thing next to her which is a rusty piece of sharp metal. Faith then walks slowly up behind the demon making sure he doesn't hear her then she stabs him in the back. He turns around and screams, slashing her in the face with his claws and then he melts into the ground becoming black liquid. Faith looks up to see Annie, trembling with fear against the wall, he legs tucked up to her chest so the black liquid can't touch her.

"Annie, t's okay he was just…. It's okay," Faith takes a step closer to Annie and she stands up and runs towards the exit of the alleyway where the ending of downtown HopeVille is. Faith runs after her, willing to save her Chinese food for another day.

…**.**

Buffy, Willow, and Xander sit on the couch in Buffy's sitting room eating a TV dinner and watching the TV on low volume. Xander is into the TV show and doesn't take his eye off of the screen. Buffy's mind is somewhere else as she lingers with her fork on the plate stirring around her food and watching the TV. Willow seems to be the only person who is into conversation.

"Like I mean, Annie tried holding Faith's hand, but Faith just moved to the side. That's just ridiculous!" Willow says with a mouthful of garlic mashed potatoes.

"Well Willow she doesn't really know her, even if it is her daughter,"

"Isn't this the part where Hermione gets stuck in the bathroom because of that troll?" Xander asks.

"No, no, that was three movies ago, where have you been?" Buffy scolds him laughing.

"I can't believe you sucked me into this, it's so stupid! What they say about witches and demons, it's so phony!"

Voldemoret comes onto the screen and Buffy starts to laugh.

"Ha Ha, his nose!"

Silence overcomes them for a few moments until Willow speaks. "Do you think I was worse than Voldemort when I was evil or was Voldemort more evil than me?"

"You were better," Buffy says.

"You were worse," Xander says.

Buffy looks at Xander and gives him a glare.

"I don't know Will, there is no comparison, but your nose is much nicer!" Buffy smiles covering up her and Xander's answer.

"Why thank you!" Willow beams with pride at her nose.

The phone gives a high pitch ringing noise next to them on the coffee table and Buffy leans forwards and answers it. "Hello?" she asks. "Okay, I'll be right there, thank you," Buffy hangs up the phone and jumps off the couch, setting her plate down on the table.

"Dawn's causing some trouble down at The Hangout, I have to go get her," Buffy says, putting on her coat.

"Should we come?" Willow asks.

"No, I think it's something I have to deal with alone."

…**..**

The music blares through the thin walls of The Hangout and the base can be felt through the ground. Buffy pulls her car into an alleyway and turns off the engine. She hops out of the car and opens the entrance way to the The Hangout, and is greeted with the smell of pot and alcohol. On the dance floor teenagers and adults grind up against each other, some kissing some just having a good time.

_When was the last time I had a good time? _Buffy thinks to herself. She walks up to the bar and smiles at the bartender, but he doesn't smile back.

"Have you by any chance seen a brown haired girl with big blue eyes? Kind of short, skinny, has a high pitched voice? I got a call from the bar here saying she was causing some trouble,"

The bartender laughs. "You mean Ginger? She's been having a good time that's for sure,"

"No, I mean Dawn, that's her name, Dawn Summers,"

"Sorry, don't know a Dawn, but I phoned the Summers residence about fifteen minutes ago saying that the Summers girl was in a bit of trouble," The bartender points a finger to the dance floor, and Buffy sees Dawn, grinding up against an older man with a drink in her hand. She wouldn't have been so upset if Dawn hadn't reached into his back pocket and took out a bag full of pills, and held it in her hand. The man notices what she has done and pulls her by the hand, leading her out the front door.

Buffy makes her way across the dance floor, getting tangled up as people push into her or try to dance with her.

While Buffy is trying to make her way outside, the man has pinned Dawn up against the wall and has started to kiss her. He takes a pill from the bag and pops it into her mouth she smiles as she swallows it. Buffy, having found a way out pushes the entrance doors open and gasps when she sees Dawn making out with the older man. Buffy marches up to them, grabs the man by the collar of his shirt and throws him up against the wooden siding of the building.

"Buffy?" Dawn asks.

"You back away from her! What was it that you popped into her mouth? Cocaine, Acid," Buffy yanks the pill bag out of Dawn's hands. "Whatever you kids do these days,"

The man starts to cackles and his body begins to take a different shape. Anger starts to fuel inside of Buffy as she realizes that Dawn has made out with a demon, for the second time! She grabs a stake out of the inside of her jacket and stabs him in the heart before he can attack them. He melts into the pavement turning into black liquid.

"It's time to go home," Buffy says, turning to Dawn.

"Why did you have to ruin my fun?" Dawn whines. "It was one night out!"

"That was a demon! He was a drug dealing, pill popping, demon!"

"I don't feel so well," Dawn mumbles leaning up against the wall.

"Well I guess not after you took that pill! Come on, let's get you home,"

Buffy and Dawn start walking back to her car which is parked just a few feet away. Dawn lurches away and throws up behind a dumpster. Buffy leans in and grabs her by the arm, practically dragging her into the car.

…

Buffy and Dawn walk through the door to see Willow, Xander, Faith, Annie, and Robin waiting for them.

"We've got a problem," Buffy says.

"Is it one where a demon melts into the ground? Because I have the same one," Faith says, with Annie by her side. Dawn starts to laugh by herself but her laughing dies down and her smile fades once she sees Anya, walking out of the kitchen with a bag of chips in her hand. Dawn frowns and her eyes go wider than they already are.

"Oh crap, not you too!" Anya says.

"These demons, why do they keep melting? And what was the big bad scary demon all about?" Buffy asks the group.

"I for one think they're working together, why else would a whole bunch of demons storm into HopeVille at once?" Faith speaks up.

"If they actually are working together what do they want?" Willow asks.

"Why are they attacking us?" Robin asks.

"I'm pretty sure Willow just asked us but in a different way," Faith glares at Robin and Robin glares back. There is major tension between the two.

"Let's find out who this demon is and kick his ass!" Xander yells.

"Guys, I see dead people, they're eating taco chips," Dawn whispers and Anya looks up, crunching on her chips. Spike has now appeared and he sticks his hand into the bag looking up also.

_**I 'hope' you liked this episode! I thought I would name the episodes just for fun!**_

_**Episode 1: HopeVille welcomes you **_

_**Episode 2: Drug dealing, pill popping, demon **_

_**Episode 3: Have a little Faith (COMING SOON!) **_

_**Review please! :D **_


	9. Episode 3 part 1

_**So this is where things get interesting, I hope you all are still reading! This was probably the hardest chapter to transfer from script format. Please Review! **_

_**Flashback:**_

In a bedroom with white walls and white floors, sits a metal bed with white bed sheets. The bed is up against the window and sunlight is shining through it. Anya sits on top of the bed, and looks out the window, her blonde hair lighting up in the sun. She still wears the clothes that she was slaughtered in, the blood staining her T-shirt and jeans.

_I don't know which day it is, and I don't know where I am. . it feels like an eternity and I know I can't be living anymore. The blood that stains my shirt, it's a token to remind me of what became of me in the end. It is also a reminder to what I did to people as a vengeance demon, or that's at least what I think. I don't know if Xander is okay, and that's probably what bothers me the most. His cocky laugh and his sarcastic humour always put me back in the right place._

Anya is left to her thoughts in the peace and quiet of the room. The next room over from Anya, is dark and dreary and the blinds are closed shut. There is no bed, no blankets, and no furniture. The floor is covered in dirt and dead leaves. Spike stands by the window, eager to peer out of the blinds but of course once he reaches a finger to touch it, it burns.

_I always thought of myself dead when I was living but why would I consider that if I was really living? Vampire's hearts don't beat but when I had a soul, I could almost feel it beating again. I felt whole, I felt like the old Spike who had written poetry and tried to impress girls but failed at it. I know this is not where I belong; I belong back in the arms of Buffy. I belong there but not here._

Spike is almost on the verge of tears, emotionally of course he would never physically show it. A soft knock is heard at Spike's black door and he looks up hopefully to it. It swings open to reveal Anya, a smile on her face and her knuckles bloody. She had escaped and came to free Spike.

Spike walks over to the door and closes it shut behind him.

For some strange reason, once Anya and Spike had escaped, they ended up in downtown HopeVille. They look around at their surroundings a bit confused as people run by them and through them, not seeming to notice them.

"Where are we?" Spike asks.

"HopeVille, the next town over from Sunnydale," Anya says.

"How do you know?" Spike asks, still not sure of all of this.

Anya points to a sign. "HopeVille bakery treats," she says, then continues to read the printing below it. "Originally from Sunnydale, but now that is gone, HopeVille is the next best thing!"

"Oh," Spike says.

"I wonder where Xander is," Anya ponders aloud.

"Is that all you ever think about? If Xander is still around?"

"Hey, if I'm dead he better not be!"

A flash of red hair runs by them and hops up onto the sidewalk. "Willow," Spike whispers. "Maybe she can lead me to Buffy," Spike runs to catch up with Willow as she enters the bakery. Anya gasps and smiles. She has spotted Dawn clutching her homework tightly in her arm. She runs after Dawn and follows closely behind her. Dawn turns down a tiny road and walks to the very end of the street turning up a driveway to an apartment building.

Dawn walks up six flights of stairs and by the time she is at the top, Anya can be seen clutching the banister for support, breathing heavily. Dawn walks up to the nearest door and knocks loudly. Anya gathers up her strength and jogs up the last few steps, eager to see if Xander will open the door since he always helped Dawn with her homework.

Xander opens the door and invites Dawn inside with a smile on his face. Anya beams with joy at the sight that Xander is still alive and well but when she goes to take a step in he slams the door on her face.

…**..**

Back in present day, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn, and Robin sit in Buffy's living room, quietly talking amongst themselves. Buffy is sitting on the couch with Dawn passed out, laying across her lap. Faith walks down the stairs and everyone, except for Dawn, whips their head up.

"Annie's in the guest room fast asleep, she was tired from all that happened today,"

Everyone glares at her.

"So, what are we going to do about this demon?" Willow asks quickly making everyone's eyes glance over to her, as Faith takes a seat next to Robin in the overcrowded room.

"I guess like every other demon we've hunted. We find it, talk to it, fight it, and the kill it," Buffy shrugs her shoulders like it's no big deal.

"Okay," Robin stands up clapping his hands together. "Where do we start?"

"Demons usually like to hide in deep musty caves, abandoned buildings, sometimes my apartment…" he trails off thinking of Anya. Buffy looks at him with her eyebrows raised, she knows about him seeing Anya. "Anyways, I think we should start in one of those places… except for my apartment of course," He covers up his mistake.

"Sounds good, Faith and I'll take the caves up on the north end of town, Buffy and Willow do you want to take the old Warehouse? That way Xander can stay here with Dawn and Annie?" Robin suggests.

"Hey why do I have to stay here?" Xander asks.

"Looks like we have a plan then!" Buffy says.

"Well… I guess I could stay here Dawn and Annie,"

"Thanks Xander. Willow, let's get going," Buffy carefully moves Dawn so she is now sleeping on the couch. Faith, Robin, Buffy, and Willow all leave the house, leaving Xander and Dawn in the living room.

"Why am I always stuck babysitting?" Xander complains.

…**.**

The leaves underneath Buffy and Willow's feet crunch as they approach the old abandoned warehouse. They shine their bright flashlights on the decaying wood and Willow shudders. The warehouse is boarded up so it is impossible to get it into.

"Definitely a demon hiding place," Buffy says.

"But where do we get in? It's all boarded up," Willow questions.

Buffy walks up to the wall and starts to feel it. She traces her fingers along the panels until she snags up against something. Her fingers have fallen into a tiny slit in the wall. Buffy pulls on it and it turns out to be a door, but it falls off its hinges and onto the ground by Buffy's feet.

"Cool trick huh?" She smiles.

Buffy and Willow enter the warehouse ducking their heads careful not to bump against the low frame. All around them, boxes collecting dust are lying around but from the other side of the room, they can hear a faint growl of a monster. As they draw nearer they see that it is the big ugly demon that attacked them at the house; Manos.

_**Part 2 coming soon!**_

_**Episode 1: HopeVille welcomes you **_

_**Episode 2: Drug dealing, pill popping, demon **_

_**Episode 3: Have a little Faith **_


	10. Episode 3 part 2

The cardboard boxes smell like old socks and the atmosphere around Buffy and Willow isn't too great either. They sit behind the boxes, peering through the railings and down to the second level where Manos, is walking back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"That's the demon that attacked us," Willow says.

The demons around Manos are smaller and less intimidating but still, a demon is a demon. Buffy looks around at all of the demons working hard and frowns as some disappear into a tunnel.

"Timothy!" Manos yells from below. Timothy runs to Manos side, his tiny legs walking faster than ever. Buffy and Willow are watching intently. "I'm getting impatient, when will it be done?"

"At the rate we're going Sir; it'll be by the end of the week,"

Manos chuckles and grabs Timothy by the scruff of his shirt lifting him up off the ground and stops once they are Seeing Eye to eye.

"What are we human? We don't have until the end of the week!"

"Well technically we do but…."

"I am not a patient demon! I want that hole dug now and I want Annie Lehane in it by Tuesday! Are we clear?" Manos roars in Timothy's face, gripping harder.

"Yes Sir, we're clear," Timothy chokes. Manos lets Timothy go and he walks away, but not before he can glance up at the boxes. Buffy and Willow duck down just in time.

"He wants Annie?" Buffy whispers, trying to wrap her head around this.

"Did you know Faith and Annie's last name is 'Lehane'?" Willow wonders out loud.

"I bet you that hole is in that tunnel where all of the demons are going, want to check it out?"

"No, no, I think I've had enough for one day,"

"Come on Will, I think we should go check it out what that 'hole' is all about, just to see what they're talking about," Buffy's convincing isn't that great and Willow still doesn't buy into it.

"Well I think that word is pretty self-explanatory," Willow mumbles.

Buffy carefully creeps out from behind the boxes and grabs hold of the railings. She looks down on the demons and watches as Manos exits through the backdoor and steps outside. She then climbs on top of the bars and jumps, landing neatly on her feet. No demons seem to notice her; they're all too busy doing their work.

Willow, changing her mind, walks down the metal staircase and quickly moves to Buffy's side, tip toeing on her way. They then sneak off in the direction of the tunnel. The tunnel is pitch black, they can hear noises like hammers hammering rocks and other work noises but they can't see.

"Did you by any chance bring a flashlight?" Buffy whispers through the darkness.

"Ooops sorry, forgot," Willow scoffs.

"Can you do a spell or something? Ow!" Buffy growls at herself for stubbing her toe on something hard.

"Well there is a spell, but I don't want to use it if we don't have to. What did you just do?"

"I stubbed my toe on something. Willow, I think we need the light, please can you do it?"

"Fine, but if I go all dark magic Willow on you it's not my fault,"

"Okay but seriously I don't think that generating a light can do that to you,"

Willow mumbles a spell and instantly a small light appears just enough for them to see their feet.

"Willow?" Buffy asks.

"Still good!"

They go to walk but cringe as they look down. "Ewww," They say in unison. Buffy has stubbed her toe on a dead demon that lies on the ground with his eyes wide open.

"That's worse than stepping in dog crap!" Willow sighs.

They step over the body and continue on their way. As they reach the end of the tunnel, their lights goes out and a huge giant hole stands before them. Demons everywhere are slaving away, either digging, passing out on the side, or hauling rocks out of the hole. Buffy and Willow look around in amazement and Buffy's jaw drops.

…

"It's a nice night out," Robin says to Faith as they stroll through the forest on their way to the caves. As they walk, Faith has her hands in her pockets and keeps looking up at the trees. Robin looks around too, but his gaze always seems to land on Faith.

"Yeah, it's nice and clear," She answers him, still looking up at the trees.

They walk in silence for the next three seconds, but it seems like an eternity. "I'm sorry for the other day, Faith. I was just shocked that's all,"

"No you were right to freak out; I should have told you sooner she was a big part of my life,"

"Was?" Robin questions raising an eyebrow.

"I mean still is! God I have to get used to saying that!"

Robing sighs and stops at a log. "Faith, have a seat," he says as if she is one of his students and he is still the Principle of the High School. Faith does as she's told and sits down next to him. "I really think you need to take a break from Slaying,"

Faith laughs nervously at him. "I can't just take a break Robin, it's my job!"

"Sure you can. We could call in a Potential and ask them to do the job for a while, and while they're doing that you could get to know Annie, become a mom,"

"No," Is Faith's answer. She gets up off the log and starts to walk in the direction they were going. Robin runs after her, calling her name.

Faith stops walking and turns around. "It's not maternity leave! I can't just leave my job to 'get the ropes' on parenthood!"

"Look my mother put her work before me and I remember what that was like. Long nights of hiding in a nearby bush while she fought off Vampires. Staying overnight at a friend's house wondering if she was going to return or not. Annie needs you Faith, and you need her,"

"Are we going to search the caves or not?" Faith says, turning on her heels and walking away from him.

…**.**

Xander sits on the couch with his face on the arm rest and his legs halfway off the couch. He has dozed off and Dawn is no longer with him. He awakes suddenly, falling off the couch. He checks his watch to see that it is three a.m. There is a crash in the kitchen and Xander rushes to go see what it is. He finds Dawn, preparing popcorn on the stove, the hard way while Anya is sitting on the kitchen counter overlooking what Dawn is doing.

Spike sits at the kitchen table with his chair leaned against the wall and feet up on the table. He picks his teeth with his black painted fingernails. Xander blinks his one eye once trying to get rid of the fact that Spike is there, having Anya there was normal.

"Just a little bit more and it should be done," Anya says to Dawn, who is full of smiles and giggles. She sees Xander and walks over to him.

"Xander! You're just in time, I'm making Kettle Popcorn. The kind that doesn't go in the microwave!" Dawn laughs as she walks away, but bumps into Xander. "Oops Silly me!" Dawn laughs.

Her hand has started to move up Xander's muscular arm but he pushes her away and moves towards the stove to remove the popcorn that has now started to smoke.

"Come on! Don't ruin her fun!" Anya exclaims.

"Fun Anya? The girl is drunk and high out of her mind…. Just look at her!"

Xander and Anya look over to the kitchen table where Dawn has wandered over to. She is slowly moving one pointer finger towards Spike's head. Spike looks at her, trying to back up more into the wall.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

"See?" Xander says turning back to Anya.

"Okay maybe she is a teensy bit high but you got to at least let her cook something if she has the munchies," Anya tries reasoning with Xander although she can see it isn't working.

A scream sounds from upstairs.

_**Part 3 coming soon! That was the end of transferring this story from script. From now on it will be me writing it from any actual story point of view so it will be better. Please review! I appreciate the reviews you all have been giving me so far! It's great! **_

_**Part 2 coming soon!**_

_**Episode 1: HopeVille welcomes you **_

_**Episode 2: Drug dealing, pill popping, demon **_

_**Episode 3: Have a little Faith **_


	11. Episode 3 part 3

"Annie!" Xander runs up the stairs shouting the little girl's name. Screams continue to follow from Annie's bedroom as well as a large crashing noise. Xander pushes open the closed door to the guest room and his legs start to feel wobbly at the sight he sees. In amongst the mangled bed sheets is a note with fresh blood still dripping off the corners. A flower vase lies on the ground with the pale pink flowers lying on the floor and water seeping through the old grey carpet.

The window is open carrying a light breeze pushing back the white curtains. Annie is nowhere to be seen. Xander walks over to the bed and picks up the note, his hands shaking.

_Buffy, your daughter will be replaced by Rosa._

_-Manos_

Xander sits on the bed and drops the note to the ground. Anya, picks up the note and reads it. "Does Manos think that Buffy is Annie's mother? Oh, is he in for a big surprise!" She laughs.

"Who's Manos?" Xander whispers.

"He was a friend of mine, he's the demon that attacked you all,"

"Does Buffy know?"

"I may have told her,"

Xander sighs displeased with Anya as she seems to let everyone see her. A part of him wanted her all to himself and a part of him wanted her to go away and let him move on. He couldn't decide which part he should listen to.

…

Faith turns the door handle of the Summers residence and entered a quiet household. Robin had gone home after they had found nothing in the caves so Faith was left by herself to pick up her daughter. She steps over the threshold and suddenly the atmosphere around her changes from peace and quiet to outrage and confusion.

Dawn walks from the other room, singing a song that Faith has never heard before, skipping as she goes. Dawn suddenly trips over her own foot and falls, leaving Faith to catch her before she hits the hardwood floor. Dawn giggles.

"Thanks Willow, you're the best,"

"I'm not," Faith begins until she realizes that Dawn is still high. "Go to bed Dawnie," She lets Dawn go and watches as she stumbles into the other room. Xander then comes walking down the stairs, arguing to no one.

"What am I supposed to say to them?" Xander says to the 'person' to his left. "No! When I get stuck babysitting, something bad always happens!"

"What happened?" Faith snaps her head up and runs to the base of the stairs.

Xander sighs. "They took Annie,"

"What?"

"I tried to stop them! They were just…."

Xander is interrupted by Faith's fist making contact with his face. He falls to the stairs and slides down onto the level floor. Faith leaps over him and dashes up the stairs to see if everything was true. When she turned the corner, she saw the note lying still on the bed.

"Buffy, your daughter will be replaced by Rosa," Faith reads aloud to no one. She crumples up the letter and throws it into the wire basket garbage can. She storms out of the room and runs down the stairs. She picks up Xander by his arm, blood running down his nose.

"You listen to me Xander, we are going to find Annie, kill the demon, and then bring her home safely, got it?"

Xander nods.

"Great, now come on!"

…**..**

"Buffy, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure; he might know something about this demon, something all of us don't know,"

"Okay,"

Buffy dials a long distance number from the pay phone as Willow taps her foot on the pavement eagerly. "

Giles, we need help,"

_**I am so sorry that that chapter was so short. I promise you a long one will be coming up! Part 4 coming soon! Please review! :) **_

_**Episode 1: HopeVille welcomes you **_

_**Episode 2: Drug dealing, pill popping, demon **_

_**Episode 3: Have a little Faith **_


	12. Episode 3 Part 4 (end)

_**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life became hectic for me this past week and all I can say is… I'm passing math now yay! So this is the last bit of Episode 3! What I am trying to do is give the characters a little action and then slow it down a bit. I was just really trying to bring Annie in the best way I could and I really don't want to drag a battle with Manos out for too long that way it gets tedious. So I hope I am portraying the characters and everything alright! I just saw the Buffy series for the first time this past summer haha. **_

Giles stepped off the plane and breathed in the dirty musty smell of car exhaust. "Still smells the same," He mumbles to himself. He stands on his toes in order to see through the crowd and around cars. Finally, he spots a red head girl jumping up and down waving her arm furiously.

Giles picks up his luggage and jogs across the street to where Willow stands with her back against a little blue car. Giles drops his luggage by the back tire of the car and squeezes Willow tightly in a hug.

"It's good to have you back," Willow whispers into his ear. Giles pulls away quickly and nods his head. They both get into the car without another word but it's when Willow pulls away from the curb, Giles starts to talk.

"Eight months!" Giles says. "Eight months and you all contact me now? Where is a 'how are you doing' once in a while? You're lucky I was in the area visiting an old friend!"

"I'm sorry Giles! We've all had it rough these past couple of months,"

"Really? What's been going on I'm sure it can't be…"

"I've been having troubles with relationships ever since I broke it off with Kennedy and I've been visiting Tara a lot at her grave. Buffy's been dealing with something but I don't know what it is, Dawn has become a drug addict and Xander, well, he's gone kind of nuts,"

Giles is quiet. "Oh, well…."

"There is a demon back in town named Manos, he wants the Slayer's daughter and he has taken her back to his hideout and we don't know what he is going to do with her. He left a mysterious note though,"

"The Slayer's daughter? Willow you have me totally confused! Unless Buffy had a baby in these past eight months which I don't think she has who are you…" Giles trails off. "Faith!"

"Yes that's right Giles. Faith had a kid when she was sixteen and kept it from all of us. I mean she had a right but a little warning would have been nice!"

"So the girls eight?"

"Yes, I'm glad you're good at math," Willow mumbles.

Giles glares at her. "I'm sorry! I'm just so… stressed out."

They pull up to Buffy's house and Willow puts the car in park and turns it off. "Now, when you go inside be careful,"

"Why?" Giles asks with a scared tone.

"Because, Buffy is trying to talk to Dawn about last night and Faith is trying to calm down, although it isn't working,"

"My god! She must be in tears!" Giles says, grabbing his suitcase from the backseat.

Willow smirks.

…**.**

"Dawn, I just don't get it, why would you take that pill?" Buffy asks her little sister with her arms crossed. Dawn sits on the edge of her bed, fiddling with her thumbs.

"Umm," she stutters. "Well, I thought it would be fun?"

"Dawn, you and I both know that's not the truth," Buffy sits down next to her. "You can tell me anything Dawnie,"

Dawn sighs. "I don't really want to talk about this right now; can we just focus on finding Annie?"

Buffy bites her lower lip and looks up at Dawn with sad eyes. "I'm worried about you; you haven't been acting the same since Sunnydale collapsed,"

Dawn laughs. "You think I'm doing this to myself because Sunnydale collapsed? Please Buffy, you got to give me more credit than that, I'm not a wimp!"

"And I'm not saying you are, it's just, I want to help you in any way that I can,"

"Then help Faith, not me, she's the one who needs it more than me. Please, do it for me?"

Buffy thinks about it and slowly nods her head. She exits out of Dawn's room leaving her all alone. Dawn rolls up her long sleeved shirt to reveal a set of scratch marks that are faintly bleeding on her wrists. The sun begins to shine on her making her squint her eyes in order to see. She walks over to her window and pulls on the blinds' string but as she does, she sees Giles getting out of his car.

She smiles, pulls down her sleeve and runs out of the room.

_**Yes I know it was short. But that is the end of Episode 3! Woot! Episode 4 will be coming soon!**_

_**Episode 1: HopeVille welcomes you **_

_**Episode 2: Drug dealing, pill popping, demon **_

_**Episode 3: Have a little Faith **_

_**Episode 4: Spanish Roses (Coming soon!) **_


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